Real-life journalism - one-day course

When: Wednesday July 29, 2009 from 10:00am - 5:00pm

Where: The Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place
London, England W2 1QJ

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This 'real-life' journalism course will help both freelancers and staff writers who want to learn all the practical skills required to put together real-life features and news, including how to find 'real' interviewees and stories, how to sell them, interviewing and writing techniques, and the common issues, legalities and pitfalls.

Do you know how and where to find a strong real life story? Do you know how to avoid all the pitfalls?

Writing real life is famously well-paid and still flourishing despite the credit crunch, and is a must for anyone wishing to work regularly for consumer and women's pages - but it's also one of the hardest and most skilled areas of journalism.

Without the know-how, it's almost impossible to know where to start when you're asked for a strong case study or 'real' interviewee, or which magazines and papers want what sort of story - and it's all too easy to come unstuck when it comes to handling difficult issues that crop up: working with exclusives, PRs and charities, dealing with identification, libel and photography, managing editors' expectations and those of interviewees unfamiliar with speaking to the media, payment for interviewees, and readbacks. Learning the skills of real life gives any journalist a competitive advantage.

This course will provide you with:

• an overview of the whole real life/case study process from finding and placing stories to interviewing and writing
• the practical resources and techniques needed to work successfully long-term with real life stories, interviewees and case studies

Practical examples will include:

• invaluable contacts, resources and skills to use when tracking down people in the news or searching for case studies/interviewees to fit an editor's brief
• placing stories - who wants them; typical fees; which comes first, the story or the feature idea
• real life practice and ethics: for example, anonymity; whether to pay case studies; if and when to do readbacks; rights to reply; plugs for companies and working with third parties; other responsibilities such as sourcing collects
• troubleshooting: for example, distinguishing good stories and fakers; what if you can't find a case study; dealing with difficult interviewees/editors
• interviewing and writing techniques specific to real life and case studies

Course Tutors: Olivia Gordon and Johanna Payton

Olivia Gordon cut her true life teeth as a features writer on women's magazine Real. Now a successful freelance journalist, editors on magazines from Sunday Times Style to Red to Woman's Own often turn to her when they need to find case studies, and fast.

Johanna Payton has specialised in real life journalism since 2001 when she launched her freelance career with regular stories in teen magazine Sneak and the teenage section of BBC Online. Her real life stories and case study-led features have since appeared in national newspapers and magazines. Johanna also writes real life-led advertorial features for clients including IPC Media and Guardian Creative.

Website: http://www.journalism.co.uk/36/43/104

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